Wednesday 15 October 2008

25th Aug 2008 - Isle of Skye (Cuilin Hills & Portree)

Day 7

Rise and shine, the rain has stopped, I woke up @ 6.45am to this great view although the sky is still quite overcast... not too bad eh =) I made myself a hot chocolate (not really hot but more like lukewarm) and ate some biscuits while enjoying the view. Later, I packed up my stuff and took some shots of the surroundings before heading off again. Next destination is Glenbrittle.

Along the way, I saw some cows (mountain cows?) which are so cute !!! Papa cow, mama cow and baby cows... with long hairs and sharp horns. I didn't stopped very long as I needed a toilet break (that's the first thing you do when you wake up at home but out in the wild you got to go and hunt down one :p) I thought there would be one at Glenbrittle but to my horror it's just a beach with no toilet! The view of the beach was great but I think I'd enjoy it more if the nature's calling was not as urgent. I quickly head to Sligachan for the Cuilin mountains. There is a toilet but it's only limited for their hotel/restaurant customer only. I saw a signboard saying there's a public toilet 3miles away at Sconser. Off I go in full speed. The village of Sconser sits on the shore of Loch Sligachan at the foot of Glamaig, one of the Red Hills (sometimes called the Red Cuillin) of Skye. It is also the ferry terminal for onward traveling to Isle of Raasay (20minutes ride) and also home to Isle of Skye Golf Club (a 9 hole golf course). But all this means nothing to me as I'm here for the toilet :p

After that, I went back to Sligachan again, parked my car and went for a walk. This is the entrance route to the Cuilin Hills. The Cuilin are a range of rocky mountains located on the Isle of Skye and are counted among the most spectacular peaks in Scotland. The true Cuillin, also known as the Black Cuillin, to distinguish them from the Red Hills across Glen Sligachan, each with a distinct character. The Red Hills are lower and, being less rocky, have fewer scrambles or climbs, are formed of red granite, and rounded and gentle in appearance. The Black Cuillin on the other hand, are mainly composed of basalt and gabbro, they are very rough rock which makes for superb grip for mountaineers. Note however that these hills (especially the black) are for serious climbers.

From here I got a very good view of both hills with the Red to my left while the Black to my right. The peaks were hidden behind misty clouds making it rather dangerous and mysterious. The route was rather flat hence I ventured in happily. I walked quite far in nearing the base before I turned back as it started drizzling. Out at the entrance, there's a very beautiful stone bridge linking the main road to the footpath.

Back at my car, I had an apple while looking back at the magnificent Cuilins before heading back to Portree. Arrived at the Bayfield Backpackers hostel reception at 1.45pm but it's not opened until 2pm so I went to the harbour for a stroll. The sky has cleared up and the sun is shining brilliantly hence there's quite a lot of tourist around the the harbour enjoying fish & chips bought from the shop next to the Lower Deck Seafood Restaurant. There's a huge flock of seagulls loitering around the harbour and fighting fiercely over the chips thrown to them by the tourists. It's quite interesting to see how some bigger and stronger seagulls protecting their turf by spreading their wings and with a open beak, running towards other approaching young seagulls, to chase them away.

As it's time, I went back to check-into the hostel. The Bayfield Backpackers is definitely one notch higher in class than the Portree Independent house, with just a pound more in cost. It is very clean and new with fantastic view from both the dorm room and the dining room. For just GBP14 pppn, it's definitely a steal. So the first thing to do of course is to take a long hot shower and then went out to Somerfields to buy some food. Bought a quiche and salad for dinner. The hostel's dining room had a great view and the owner played some very nice and relaxing music making it so much cozier. Although the kitchen here is smaller but its sufficient and the dining room is so much airier here. I felt so relaxed sitting here, eating my dinner, reading up on Edinburgh and also writing my trip report. I've decided to turn in early tonight as tomorrow will be another long journey to Edinburgh hence I need to start early. Back in the dorm room, there's a senior couple where the guy was playing some beautiful songs on his guitar while his partner was reading at the bed.

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